The early trend of Kerala Assembly Election results on Monday showed Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) taking a massive lead, indicating that the front may claim power in the state.
According to the Election Commission's website, poll trends at 12:00 p.m. showed that the Congress was ahead in 57 seats, while its allies - Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was leading at 23 seats and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) was ahead in three seats.
The CPI(M)-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) was ahead in just 40 constituencies. The Assembly elections in Kerala were held on April 9.
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Ahead of the results, most exit polls also gave the UDF a narrow but consistent edge, hinting that the southern state is geared up for a change in government. On Monday, as counting of votes began at 8:00 a.m., a similar picture appeared, with the UDF ahead in over 90 of the 140 seats.
Who Will Become Next CM?
Now, with the outcome becoming clearer by the hour, all attention shifts to who might become the next chief minister of Kerala.
A day ago, AICC general secretary and Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi had said UDF allies had left the decision on the chief ministerial candidate to the Congress in the event of the front coming to power.
“We have consulted the allied partners. They have given a clear opinion that whatever the Congress decides, they will go with that,” she told news agency PTI. This hints that the new CM of Kerala might ultimately be decided by the Congress.
According to Indian Express, the race appears to be between three senior leaders:
- Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan
- Former Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala
- AICC General Secretary K. C. Venugopal
All are trying to establish themselves as the top pick for the post.
What Exit Polls Suggested?
According to exit poll predictions by Axis My India, Satheesan, contesting from Paravur, was the top preference from the Opposition as the CM choice among voters (21%). About 11% of respondents said that they preferred any UDF candidate.
Chennithala displayed about 8% support, while 5% backed any LDF candidate. Congress leader K. C. Venugopal received 3% preference.
Post 8 of 10 - Kerala - Exit Poll - Preferred CM#Keralaelections2026#ExitPoll#AxisMyIndia
— Axis My India (@AxisMyIndia) April 29, 2026
@pradeepgupta_ami pic.twitter.com/lJFN8NHXMn
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As counting trends emerged, senior Congress leader and Thiruvanathapuram MP Shashi Tharoor was also asked about the potential CM pick.
Tharoor told NDTV: "Look, I mean the honest answer is that I have no clue because the truth is the way it works in our party is that you will actually have a consultation amongst the victorious MLAs by a representative, the Congress president, and then you will find the high command making the final decision. ... the fact that we have an abundance of talent is a good sign."
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